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- About half of all four-year college students (51%) surveyed by financial services company College Ave said the cost of attending college was higher than they had anticipated and that they underestimated their annual out-of-pocket expenses by an average of $14,137 per year.
- The recent survey also found that the most surprising expenses were books and supplies (cited by 58% of students), tuition and fees (57%) and housing (45%).
- Students rely heavily on their family for financial guidance: 78% cite their parents as their primary source of financial education. Other sources were far less popular, such as high school or college classes (65%), friends or peers (41%) or social media (9%).
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